COQUILLE - More than 20 pieces of equipment will motor along local roads one last time under the ownership of the Coos County Road Department. The Board of Commissioners gave final approval to send 22 machines to an auction in Eugene on May 19.

County officials hope to sell 10 pickups, three asphalt rollers, a brush cutter along with several other machines. Roadmaster John Rowe said after subtracting hauling costs and the auctioneer's 10 percent cut, the county is expecting to make more than $55,000. He estimates the department will see another $15,000 for sales of dump trucks to other county departments.

Commissioners Nikki Whitty and Bob Main both had reservations about taking the equipment out of the county for sale.

"I would just like to advertise it to local people before sending it off to auction," Main said.

Rowe said the auction, put on by Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, has a live online bidding process, which would enable people to bid without traveling to Eugene.

Main proposed a compromise, in which the board would approve the sale, but also alert the public of the auction and how to bid online.

While the auction will carry on, so will work on projects around the county.

The commissioners this week approved to contract with PBS Engineering to provide final designs for repairs on Stian Smith Road for $4,700 and Sitkum Lane for $5,800. Total engineering costs on both repairs amount to $12,250 for Stian Smith and $15,550 on Sitkum. The firm will also be doing  engineering work and securing permits for repairs on Sandy Creek Road for $14,650 and Transpacific Lane on Coos Bay's North Spit in the amount of $43,830. Rowe said the Oregon Department of Transportation distribution of Federal Surface Transportation Program funds would reimburse the department all except 6 percent of engineering costs.

Whitty and Main have questioned whether there may be a better way.

"Would we be money ahead to have our own engineer?" Whitty asked Rowe.

Rowe doesn't think so.

Commissioner Kevin Stufflebean said that if the county were do its own work, it would probably need to hire more than one engineer and it is easier to contract on a case-by-case basis.

Main said the county ought to test that by keeping track of its engineering costs.

"We will see at the end of the year what kind of total we have," he said.